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“See you ladies later,” Cassius said, and they jogged out of the Student Union, leaving us alone.
I paused as I crested the hill, leaning against the handl
ebars of the bike I’d “borrowed” from the sheds around the back of my apartment block. So far, no one had claimed it, and I doubted anyone would, but I made it a point to put it back where I’d found it every time I’d used it. It had definitely seen better days—the paint was flaking from the teal frame, rust spots dotting the wheels, the saddle ripped and faded. Still, it was fine for my short explorations of the surrounding areas. After our game of pool with the boys, Kinslee had headed to the library to research an assignment, and not wanting to stay in the apartment, I’d decided to check out a trail leading out of the campus I’d noticed a few days earlier.
I’d followed the signposted track through the fields, and as I took in the vista in front of me, my jaw dropped. I was on the headland, the sea wild and churning beneath me, crashing angrily against the rocks. A small ruined castle stood on the edge of the cliffs, desolate and crumbling, ancient stones scattered amongst the scrubby grass. I climbed off the bike and wheeled it towards the ruins, then left it on the ground. Wrapping my thick cardigan tightly around me, I explored the ruins, trailing my hand along the cool stone walls, some barely standing, a shell of what once must have been a beautiful castle.
I rounded the front of the structure, close to the edge of the cliff, and sank to the ground, my back against the stone, facing the sea. Pulling my knees up and resting my head on my arms, I stared at the horizon as the sun began its descent, mostly hidden behind huge grey clouds.
A faint scratching sound came from my left, and my head whipped round, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. My heart beating faster, I stood up, taking a step towards the direction the noise had come from. As quietly as I could, I bent down and picked up a rock from the ground, then inched around the corner of the wall I’d been leaning against.
There was nothing there.
I couldn’t shake the sensation that I was being watched, but I couldn’t see anything. I stood as still as possible, straining my ears for any further noise, but all I could hear was the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks, far below me, and the gulls in the sky above.
After a few minutes had passed, I concluded that my mind was playing tricks on me. If it was anything, it was probably a mouse, or a rabbit. I dropped the stone and slumped back against the wall, my heart rate eventually returning to normal, the sound of the sea and the tang of the salt in the air soothing me.
My thoughts drifted. Would I ever find out what had happened to my dad? Was I on a wild goose chase, trying to find justification for his death when it had been a horrible accident? Could I get close enough to my mother to investigate her? Would Caiden and his dislike of me ruin my plans? I sighed and closed my eyes, no answers forthcoming, concentrating on the sound of the waves until the sun had disappeared below the horizon and it was time to head home.
FIVE
“Do you know anything about Caiden and Weston’s relationship with my mother?” I leaned closer to Cassius as we sat in the darkened lecture hall, everyone’s attention focused on the video playing on the large screen at the front of the room.
Suspicion crossed his face as he turned to look at me. “Why do you ask?”
I shrugged, keeping my voice low. “Just curious, I guess. I don’t know anything about them, really, and they are my stepbrothers now, after all. And I picked up on some tension between them and my mother when we all had dinner together, a couple of weeks ago.” That was an understatement. That dinner had been the most awkward, strained meal of my life. What was going on with this family? Everything so far that had happened since I’d come to Alstone had left me with more questions, and no answers.
He raised a brow, tapping his pen against his notepad. “If you want to know about them, why don’t you ask them?”
“You think Caiden would answer my questions?”
“No fucking chance.” He laughed softly. “But West might.” His face turned serious. “Look, remember what I told you, that first day of classes. It’s not my place to say anything—it’s up to them if they decide to share anything with you.”
“Okay, fine.” I sighed, turning back to the video. “Cassius?”
“What, now?”
“Your family’s on the board of Alstone Holdings, right?” Keeping my gaze focused on the screen, I held my breath, hoping he’d be more open to talking about this, since discussing the Cavendish family with him clearly wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
“Yeah, why?” He tilted his head towards mine.
“Does my mother have much to do with it all? I know she’s on the board, since she married Arlo.”
“To do with what?”
I twisted in my seat, turning back towards him. “Decision-making, stuff like that.”
His eyes met mine, and he nodded. “She’s a shareholder and a board member. So, yeah. She gets a vote, just like the other board members. That’s publicly available knowledge.”
“And what about—”
He lifted a finger in the air, cutting me off. “I’m sorry, babe. I get that you want to learn more about your new family, but I’m not the person you should be asking. Hasn’t your mother told you anything?”
“No. We don’t have that kind of relationship.” I sat back in my seat with a sigh. “Any kind of relationship, really.”
Any reply Cassius was going to make was swallowed by the video ending and the harsh overhead lights flickering on, making me screw up my eyes against the sudden brightness. The room burst into chatter, everyone standing and gathering their things, all wanting to make their escape from the lecture hall as quickly as possible.
Our conversation already forgotten, Cassius was up and out of his chair, lightning fast. “Gotta go. See ya later,” he called over his shoulder, and then he was gone, swallowed by the crowd. Not in such a rush to leave, I waited until the room had mostly emptied out, then made my way down the stairs and out into the late-afternoon sun. Although it was sunny, the air chilled me, and I zipped my jacket up to my chin. Swinging my bag over my shoulder, I turned to make my way back to my apartment.
